


Cerulean Blight

by SilverRumRunner



Category: Pacific Rim (2013), The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-01
Updated: 2013-11-21
Packaged: 2017-12-22 03:02:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/908126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverRumRunner/pseuds/SilverRumRunner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU-Darcy always wanted to be a pilot for the Jaeger program.  It's a shame she hates her co-pilot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. How You Take Your Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in the Pacific Rim Universe. I won't use characters from PR, only playing with the Thor and Avengers cast in the world. I'm not an expert on this movie, I just felt inspired and wrote this for fun. I intend this to be a series of connected one-shots. Thank you to samantha-shakespeare for being my beta and ohmyloki for not getting sick of me constantly bouncing ideas off her.

Darcy leaned over the railing of the catwalk so she could watch the Jaeger candidates spar.  She sipped her coffee with one hand and held Jane’s cup in the other.  She knew she needed to get it back before it cooled, but she couldn’t resist seeing the techniques and styles each person used.  She dreamed of becoming a pilot herself, but that goal seemed highly unlikely for a glorified note taker and coffee fetcher.  Besides, she’d already tried out three times.

“Greetings, Darcy.”  She jerked, not expecting anyone else to be crossing by this high up.  Thor leaned against the railing and grinned widely.  She wondered how long he had been there.  “Shall you be trying out for one of the Jaeger pilot positions as well?”

She frowned, and her whole body sagged a little. “Um, no. Not likely, big guy.” She faked a smile when his demeanor changed to concern.  “Someone needs to keep Jane powered on caffeine.”    

When he heard Jane’s name, he perked up again.  “Yes, please tell Jane I shall stop by her lab later this day.”

“Will do.  Speaking of which, I should head there myself.”  

Darcy spun and smacked into an immovable surface. She felt her styrofoam coffee cup break in her hand.  She squealed when the hot coffee dripped down her shirt.  She forced Thor to take Jane’s coffee cup, luckily still in tact, before she pulled her sopping t-shirt away from her body.  While she looked down at the mess, she noticed a  pair of long legs clad in black cargo pants.  Her gaze trailed up, and up, until she found the face of Thor’s younger, crankier brother.  Just her luck, he looked pissier than usual today.  “Hi, Loki.”

He sneered and looked down at himself.  She looked down as well and noticed a dark, wet stain on his green shirt.  

“Oh shit, I’m sorry.”  She dug a napkin out of her pocket and reached forward to sop up some of the liquid.  

Loki grabbed her hand and threw it to the side. “Leave it, before you make it worse.” He shouldered his way past her. The catwalk rattled every time his foot stomped against it. He growled out words loud enough for her to hear.  “Uncouth, maladroit harpy.”

“Who the hell uses maladroit as an insult?” Darcy asked.

Shaking his head, Thor patted her back.  “Forgive my brother.  He is only concerned about our final drift compatibility test today before we are paired for one of the new Jaegers.”   Thor handed Jane’s coffee back to her, said his goodbye and hurried to catch up with his irate, slightly moist brother.

****

Darcy arrived back at the lab with no more mishaps on the way.  She set the coffee in front of Jane and picked up a folder with data she needed to add to the spreadsheet.

“Where’s your coffee?” Jane asked.  Reluctantly, Darcy unzipped her jacket and revealed her stained t-shirt.  “Oh no, Darce. What happened?”

“This isn’t the worst of it.  The rest is dripping off Thor’s brother.”  Darcy quick-timed it over to her labstation, hoping to avoid the blow up.  Not exactly possible when the room was practically the size of a lunchbox.  

“You didn’t?” Jane dropped her datapad and shot an accusing gaze at her assistant.

“I didn’t do it on purpose.”  She booted up her computer and slouched back in her chair as she waited. “Although I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve getting crap thrown at him.”

Jane sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Please Darcy.  Try to be civil with him.  I already get little enough time as it is with Thor. But when you get Loki agitated, it is all Thor worries about until he calms down again.”

Darcy pursed her lips, grumpy Jane pulled out her guilt card to use against her.  “Fine, I’ll make nice with the overgrown toddler.”

“Thank you.”

The door clanged open, and in walked Dr. Banner with his arms full of files, books, and a jar with some sort of questionable specimen floating in it.  Darcy offered to help him carry the paperwork.

“Have we gotten any new seismic readings?” Jane asked him.

“No, but they did just take down a Kaiju off the coast of Papua New Guinea,” Bruce said.  He set the jar on his desk and shuffled through some papers. He adjusted his askew glasses.  “I’ve submitted a request for some samples.”

Darcy cringed, knowing samples meant ‘big, gooey, gross mess’ that she would be responsible to clean up when the poking and prodding finished.  She picked up her set of earphones and listened to the CD she borrowed play on the computer.  Some days, she missed her iPod a lot more than others.

*****

Finishing her data entry took longer than usual when the power shorted out.  At least Jane promised to warn them next time she wanted to try one of her new sensor contraptions.  Darcy already missed watching the rest of the trials for the day, so she swung by the mess hall to grab a coffee, for Loki.  She promised to apologize, so she might as well get the uncomfortable situation over with as soon as possible.

Soldiers informed her Loki was in a meeting with Director Fury.  She stood and waited outside his office.  Before she had time to feel bored, she heard voices rise in volume from behind the door.  It escalated into full blown shouting.  She jumped when someone punched a metal wall. Shortly after, the door opened and out walked a sullen looking Thor followed by a tall, dark haired woman.  

Thor managed a smile when he saw Darcy leaning against the wall across the way.  “Hello again, Darcy.”  

“Hey, sorry I missed your trials earlier.  How’d they go?”

Thor’s eyebrows creased and his mouth flattened, not quite a frown but definitely not a smile.  He looked behind him then gestured towards the woman.  “Darcy, may I introduce you to Sif.  My co-pilot.”

“Oh?”  It took a second for the news to click for Darcy.  “Oh.” She looked towards the shut office door then back at Thor. “Oh shit.”  

Thor nodded and scratched the back of his head.  

Darcy stretched her hand out to shake Sif’s. “Nice to meet you.  I’m happy for you, really.  It’s just not what everyone expected.”

“Yes, I gathered as much,” Sif said.  She smiled and didn’t take offense to Darcy’s reaction.  

“Listen, big guy.  You might want to quick-march over to the lab and break the news to Jane before the gossip mongers reach her.  Which, by my estimation, will start spreading precisely when the diva makes his grand entrance.”

The office door banged open, and Loki slammed it shut behind him.  

“Too late,” Darcy said.  ‘If looks could kill’ adequately described the younger Odinson’s facade.  She pushed Thor in the direction of Jane.  He didn’t budge, of course, but her intention was clear. “Go find Jane.  I’ll try to calm him down.”    After a moment’s hesitation, Thor agreed and left with Sif.

Darcy took a deep, centering breath.  She would admit, her claim to calm Loki seemed a monumental endeavor.  She’d settle for just delaying his inevitable rampage through the compound. She approached Loki, holding her arm out as a way to deter him from walking past.  

“Hey there. Look, I can tell you would prefer some alone time right now.” Darcy held the coffee out for him.  “But I wanted to formally apologize again about earlier.  I even made it how you like it.  No sugar, a splash of cream.”

Loki grabbed the cup and threw it against the wall.  Coffee splattered, reaching as high as the ceiling.

“What the hell is your problem? Daddy never hug you enough or something?” Darcy scrubbed the drops of coffee off her cheek.  

Loki’s shoulders rose and fell with each breath he inhaled through his nose.  His normally placid, pale face now flushed red. He squeezed his fisted hands by his thighs.  The knuckles on his right hand bleed from a cut and looked slightly swollen.  With only a couple, long strides, he crowded Darcy until her back hit the wall.

“Do not try my patience, little girl. You will not be amused with the consequences.”

She heard a door creak open, but all she could see was Loki’s nose and his burning green eyes.   “Back off, pal.” She pressed her finger into his sternum.  “I put up with your crap because I care about Jane and Thor. But don’t think for a second I won’t hesitate to kick your ass if given the chance.”

Loki smacked his hand against the wall near her head and left it there to cage her in.  Darcy flinched but didn’t pull away in fear.  He leaned in closer and his voice hissed in her right ear. “I would love nothing more than to see you crumble at my feet as I break your impertinent spirit.”

A male cleared his voice somewhere nearby. “Is there a problem here?” Darcy recognized Fury’s voice even though she couldn’t see him due to Loki’s body blocking her.  

“No sir.  Just a disagreement about his drink order.”  Loki slowly pulled back to look down at her.  He tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. She raised an eyebrow, as is daring Loki to make a move. He took a step back and continued to eye her skeptically.

Darcy heard Fury grumble something, and then return to his office.  She didn’t take her wary gaze off Loki.  With the tension diffused, Loki curled his lip at her before he walked away.  

It irked her how he just gave up the fight, like he was the more mature one of the two.  She called after him. “That’s the last time I waste my ration points on you.”  It felt rewarding to get the last word in with him.

Loki responded by saluting her with a rude gesture.  She wanted to shout how he was an asshole, but that would have been ‘highly inappropriate’ as Coulson had lectured her in the past, so she murmured it under her breath instead.

“Is that just your warm up act?” a man asked. Darcy snapped her head to the side and saw Tony Stark leaning outside of Fury’s office. “Not a bad build up, but you two need to work on the climax.”  

Darcy felt her face heat up. “I’m afraid to ask how much of that you saw.”

Tony shrugged and smiled.  “Then don’t.”  He walked closer to her and looked her up and down. “What’s your name?”

“Darcy Lewis.”  She had a thousand questions but no sensible answers as to why Tony Stark, genius pioneer leading the way with Jaeger technology, was wasting time talking to her.  

Tony gave a soft, non-chalant ‘hmm.’  He half smirked, nodded, and then walked away. Darcy wondered if she just missed a joke, because it felt like she was the punchline.

******

The next morning, Darcy couldn’t stop glancing over at Jane.  She usually found Jane nose deep in solving complicated equations or mumbling to herself about possible theories regarding how to destabilize the wormhole.  Today, Jane stared off vacantly at the far wall, repetitively tapping her pen against the desk.  

“You ok, Jane?” Darcy asked.

Jane shook her head, clearing her mind of the daydream.  “What? Oh, yeah I’m fine.  Just thinking about some things.”

The door opened before Darcy could press for more.  She expected to see Bruce, but instead, Stark waltzed in like he owned the place.  And he practically did.  Most of the equipment in the room had his company logo emblazoned on the side.  He took his sunglasses off and tucked them on his shirt collar. He wandered around the space, tapping a couple of Jane’s homemade sensors as he passed.

With his back turned to them, Jane frantically motioned towards him and silently mouthed at Darcy ‘what is he doing here?’  Darcy threw her hands in the air and shook her head.  Damned if she knew. Most people thought their office space was a supplies closet.

Jane slipped from behind her desk and approached him. “Hi, Mr. Stark.  I’m Dr. Jane Foster.  Please don’t think me scrapping some of your computers for parts is in any way a reflection of how much we appreciate all your help and funding.”  

He turned around and shook her hand.  “I noticed the frequency your Gamma sensor tracked at appeared a bit weak.  The new Z16 laptop model we’re releasing this fall has a stronger processor.  It could boost the signal by at least half.  I’ll have Potts send you a couple.”

Jane’s jaw dropped, but she managed to recover in time to thank him.  Stark turned and walked towards Darcy.  She slumped lower behind her desk, really hoping he just wanted a closer look at the Kaiju diagram poster behind her.  He stopped in front and crossed his arms as he looked down at her.  “Ms. Lewis, please follow me.”  Stark left without waiting for her response.

Darcy scrambled out of her seat.  Jane came over while she grabbed her lightweight jacket. “Darcy, what did you do?”

“I honestly have no clue. But if I don’t come back, will you get my stuff?”  

Darcy shrugged the jacket on and rushed to catch up to Stark.  She found him waiting by the open elevator doors.  She stepped inside first.  Darcy started sweating a little when he selected the button for the floor of top officials.  

“Um, if this is about me hacking into the private server so I could download some movies, I’m really sorry and promise not to do it again.”

Tony smiled and glanced briefly down at her. “That was you?” He pulled a cell phone from his pocket and swiped a few times on the surface.  “So, Darcy Lewis.  Says you tried out for the Jaeger pilot program three times.  Pretty decent marks on the simulators.  No casualties.”

Darcy snorted.  “Yeah, unless you count the Jaegers.”

Tony laughed and nodded.  “Yes, you are a bit heavy handed with the old mark 3 models.”

The lift stopped and opened to the chosen floor.  Darcy followed Tony a step behind.  They approached Fury’s office.  She felt relief seeing someone cleaned all traces of the previous day’s coffee mishap.  She stopped before entering the office.  “Am I about to get fired?”

Tony smirked but refused to answer.  He entered the room and left the door open.  Darcy waited a few seconds before sucking up some courage and following.

She hesitated at the doorway.  She saw Nick Fury sitting behind his desk, scowling at the opposite wall.  Standing tall and alert at his side, Darcy recognized the famous soldier, Captain Steve Rogers.  For a few years, he and James ‘Bucky’ Barnes made an unstoppable Jaeger team, until the accident.  Darcy made a note to try and get an autograph before she left.  Tony sat on the edge of Fury’s desk.  

She walked in the rest of the way, but cringed when a familiar voice spoke from behind her.  “Oh I can’t wait to hear why they asked for your presence as well.”

Darcy turned back to glare at Loki.  Loki glared right back.   He looked overly large and uncomfortable in the small folding chair.  She did a double take when her eyes caught sight of a fist-sized dent on the metal wall behind him. She could guess why Fury scowled in this direction.  She glanced down and noticed bruises and butterfly bandages on his knuckles.

“Please have a seat,” Steve said, gesturing to the chair on Loki’s right.  The only available chair.  Darcy had to step over his long legs blocking her path.  She sat down but scooted her seat a few inches away.  Steve continued. “Thank you for joining us.  As you know, we’re recruiting for pilots for a fleet of new mark-4 Jaegers, designed by Stark Industries.”

“Well, they are actually designed by me,” Tony said.  Steve side-eyed the man.  “What? I don’t like giving out misinformation.”

Steve turned back to address Loki and Darcy.  “We’ve already recruited and assigned co-pilots to each.”

“Are you going to pilot again?” Darcy asked.  She couldn’t bottle her excitement at the thought of seeing him return to action.

“Yes, I’ll be returning with a new co-pilot.”

“Which wouldn’t have been necessary if you let me work on my program a little longer,” Tony said.

Steve crossed his arms and glared harder this time at Tony.  “We’ve discussed this at length, Mr. Stark.  We don’t have time to wait for you to get an AI functioning Jaeger up and running.”

“Jarvis is ready to go. Just a couple kinks to work out. You’ll see.”

Darcy squirmed in her seat while watching the two bicker.  It reminded her of family dinners growing up.

“Gentlemen, please keep on topic,” Fury said.  He leaned his head against his arm propped on the arm rest.

“There is one additional Jaeger.  A prototype.  We’d like to assign you both to her.”

Darcy couldn’t believe what Steve said. Joy built up inside, and she felt a need to scream in order to release it.   Almost all her dreams were finally being offered to her, except for the one problem sitting to her left.  

“You must be joking,” Loki said.  He pushed out of his chair and paced the small area.  “Lewis isn’t qualified to be a pilot. You’ve seen her record.”

Steve kept calm and continued. “Despite heavy collateral damage, she has not suffered any casualties.  And she always managed to defeat the simulated Kaiju.  She meets and exceeds any physical requirements.”

“She has proven she’s a quick learner,” Tony said.  “She’s also shown a talent for adaptability.  That’ll work well with this new model.”

Loki scoffed at each qualification the two men listed.  Darcy kept still, not wanting to jeopardize her chance of being a pilot because she couldn’t control her snarky comments.

Fury leaned forward.  “She also accepts advice and works well with others.  Unlike some people.”

Loki turned his cold gaze on the director. “What do you mean by that?”

“You’ve pissed off every other damn pilot.  They’d rather clean latrines than put up with your bullshit.”

“Then assign me to Thor.” Loki threw his arm out towards the door for added emphasis.

“Thor has a co-pilot,” Steve said.  Darcy wondered if anything could ruffle him.  “And we’ve already explained to you.  You and your brother both start out well, but soon it escalates into a competition.  You both lose focus of your assigned directive and prefer to fight each other rather than the enemy.”

Darcy cleared her throat.  She instantly regretted it when all eyes turned to her, but she proceeded anyway.  “Not to jinx myself, but shouldn’t Loki and I at least spar or something to see if we are even drift compatible?”  

Tony smiled at her.  “Not every sparring match takes place on a mat.  We witnessed you both yesterday.  I think you’ll both be a perfect fit.”

“And if I refuse?” Loki asked.

“If you refuse, then you won’t be given another opportunity, Mr. Odinson,” Fury said.

Loki gave a long, suffering groan.  He collapsed into his chair and leaned forward.  He covered his face in his hands and massaged his temples with his fingertips.  

“I’ll accept that as a yes.” Fury turned to Darcy. “And you, Ms. Lewis?”

Darcy watched Loki and his dramatics for a moment before facing Fury.  “Yes, I accept.”  

 


	2. Picking Up Strays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even though they are co-pilots, Darcy and Loki still butt heads. Darcy also makes a new friend (or two).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to samantha-shakespeare for being my beta and ohmyloki for all her help and advice! And Sadirapookie drew this amazing [tasertricks Pacific Rim fanart](http://sadirapookie.tumblr.com/post/57573289690/this-pacific-rim-au-crossover-coordinates-with)! On a side note, I'm in love with the Hawkeye comics, so a portion of this part is complete fanservice and I'm not sorry ;)

The next day for breakfast, Darcy found Jane sitting at their usual table.  Also, as usual, Thor sat close on her right.  Jane’s right hand absentmindedly rubbed the back of Thor’s left, and her other hand held a piece of toast with one bite taken.  All the while, her eyes focused on a set of data charts spread out on the table in front of her.  The only new change happened to be Sif sitting across from them.  Her and Thor smiled as they made idle chit chat.  Darcy set her heavily ladened tray down and took a seat next to Thor’s co-pilot.

“I think my favorite thing about being a Jaeger pilot is no more ration requirements,” Darcy said.  She looked greedily at all the food she packed on it.  More than she could possibly eat, but her eyes were bigger than her stomach that morning.

“It is a good thing we have already gotten our breakfast,” Thor said after laughing at the sight.

“ I can’t imagine there is anything left,” Sif said.

“I know it’s a lot. But I couldn’t help myself.  Especially when the smug serving guy couldn’t deny me an extra pancake today.”  Darcy dug into her meal and moaned happily at the taste.

Jane picked up a pen and wrote a few notes in the margin of her charts.  Darcy swallowed, then cleared her throat to get the girl’s attention.  “I’m going to miss working with you, Jane.  Not the busy work, but hanging out with you I mean.”  

Jane stopped and looked up with a genuine smile. “I’ll miss you too.  It’s going to be a lot quieter.”  She took a bite of her toast.  While chewing, her eyebrows creased in thought. She looked around the mess hall, then back at Darcy.  She swallowed and asked, “Darcy, where’s Loki?”

Darcy turned and scanned the crowded room.  She spotted him sitting alone at a table in the far corner.  She turned back and cut a piece of pancake and swirled it around the pool of syrup. “He’s in the back, being his unsocial self.”

“Forgive me if I sound rude, but isn’t it common for co-pilots to take their meals together?” Sif asked.

Darcy frowned, not wanting to be reminded of that detail.  “There is plenty of space here if he wants to join us.  He’s an adult.”

Thor leaned towards her and waited until she looked up to make eye contact.  He smiled and spoke patiently. “I know my brother, Darcy.  And I am sure he has not rested since receiving this news of becoming a pilot.  It would be good for him to be distracted from his thoughts for a little while.”

Darcy sighed and turned back around to watch Loki.  She planned to point out how he seemed fine.  He sat, leaning his head against his propped arm on the table.  He pushed the scrambled eggs around his plate with his fork.  She watched him for a full minute, but he never consumed anything. She turned back around, hoping the others would drop it.  They continued to eye her until she caved.

“Do I have to?” Darcy hadn’t whined since she was five.

“Darcy,” Jane said.  Darcy stood and gathered her tray.  She learned a while ago it was pointless to try and argue when Jane said her name in that tone of voice.

“Fine, but when he tells me to leave him the hell alone, I’m coming back here to say ‘I told you so.’”

Darcy took her time to approach Loki’s table.  She quietly set her tray down.  When he didn’t react or speak, she sat down.  Loki continued to look down at the food he pushed around.  She picked up her glass and sipped her orange juice.

“Have you lost your way?” Loki asked.

She choked on her drink, not expecting him to speak to her.  Darcy assumed he didn't notice she even sat down.  She wiped her mouth before speaking. “I’ve been reminded that co-pilots should spend time with each other.”

He stopped moving the fork around and looked up. “Do not inconvenience yourself on my account.”

“That’s a promise I can keep.”  

Darcy nibbled on a piece of crispy bacon.  Loki sneered at her plate and set his fork down.

“What’s your problem now?” Darcy asked.

“I fear I’ve lost my appetite.”

“Don’t pin that on me. You haven’t eaten anything for the last ten minutes.”

He pulled back and looked stunned. “You were watching me?” Loki shook his head. “Regardless, I will not sit here as witness while you gorge yourself like some sow at the trough.”

Darcy threw her eating utensils on her tray. “Ok hotshot, you want to hurl insults this early? I’m game.”

“What I meant, Ms. Lewis, is you parade around with your gluttonous portion, most of which I imagine will end in the trash.  I wonder if you’ve spared a thought to the men and women in this room who are still required to use ration points sparingly. Or perhaps the poor souls outside this compound who would be grateful for just a clean cup of drinking water.”

Her ire dissipated like a puff of air as she listened to his words.  She looked down at her plate of food in shame.  Loki calmly gathered his trash before standing with his tray.  

“Do not forget, we are required to have our belongings moved to our new barracks by noon.  And orientation starts at one o’clock.  Try not to be late.”

Darcy didn’t say anything when he left.  She looked down at her food for a couple long moments before she picked her fork back up.  Her appetite disappeared when Loki reminded her of the harsh reality they lived in, but she made herself eat it anyway.

*******

Despite the smell of diesel and cacophonous shouts and heavy machinery, Darcy gratefully basked in the sunlight and cool, salty breeze from the ocean.  She felt she might be sick after forcing down all the food from breakfast.  The fresh air made her feel a little better, but if she did feel the sudden urge to throw up, she could find a spot more easily outside.  

She jumped when she felt something warm and wet slide over her hand.  She looked down and saw a dog licking her fingers.  They probably tasted like bacon grease and syrup.  The scruffy dog looked like a mix of a retriever and something else.  His left eye was missing, but it looked like an old, healed injury.  

“You can shoo him off if he’s bothering you,” a male voice said.  Darcy saw a blonde man, possibly in his thirties, sitting on a crate overlooking the harbor.   A small bandage crossed the bridge of his nose. Between his hair and five o’clock shadow, he looked almost as scruffy at the dog.  A plate with a slice of half eaten pizza laid next to him.

“It’s fine.  He seems friendly enough.  Your dog?”  Darcy walked closer to him and leaned against a forklift not in use.  The dog followed and sat at her feet when she stopped.

“No, he’s not mine.” He tore off a piece of pizza and fed it to the stray. 

“Breakfast of champions.”  Darcy grimaced, regretting reminding herself of her bad decision that morning.  “My name’s Darcy, by the way.  One of the new Jaeger pilots.”  She held her hand out, and the man shook it briskly.

“Clint.  Nat and I will be joining the team too.”  

“Really? I haven’t seen you during any trials.”

Clint gave a half smile and scratched the back of his head. “Let’s just say there was a minor incident in Hungary, and our immediate transfer seemed like a smart option.”  Darcy knew she would enjoy working with this guy.  He had his secrets, but who didn’t? He took another bite of his pizza before speaking again.  “Did you know your partner before?”

Darcy’s lip curled up like an automatic response when she heard any mention of Loki.  “Unfortunately, yes. But it was a ‘take it or leave it’ ultimatum for the both of us.”

Clint nodded, and then he smiled softly as if recalling a memory. “Some of the best teams are made of bullheads.  Just remember, you and your co-pilot have at least one thing in common.”

“Hate for one another?”

Clint shook his head and started wiping his greasy hands off on his jeans. “Not hate.  No way you two would agree to be teamed up if it was that.” Darcy’s knee-jerk reaction was to refute his words.  But she stopped and thought about it.  "You both want the same thing.  To be Jaeger pilots. And you’ll do what it takes to make that goal happen.”

“I don’t see us becoming best friends anytime soon.”

“Of course not.  I’m sure half the time, you will have to stop yourselves from throwing the other out the front shield window. But that’s normal.”  Clint gave the rest of the pizza to the dog.  He stood and stretched.  “I should get going.”

“Me too.  I still have to move all my stuff.”  Darcy walked with him towards the building.  The both stopped when they heard a shrill whine.  Turning back, they saw the stray cowering with his tail between his legs as a man stood above it with his leg pulled back to kick.  

“Get the hell out, you mangy mutt,” he said.  As his leg moved to strike, Clint’s hand grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him away.

“Leave it alone,” Clint said.  His voice sounded calm, but his cold stare showed no compassion.  Darcy wanted to step in and help, but she didn’t want to spook the dog and make him run away.

“This flea ridden dog keeps showing up nosing for handouts.  Goin’ to start spreading diseases or something.  Need to teach him to stay the hell away.”

“He’s my dog.”

The man smiled and crossed his arms.  He obviously didn’t believe a word Clint said. “Really? What’s its name?”

Clint’s jaw tense but he didn’t break his stare.  “Lucky.”

“Well then, call your loyal pooch over.”

Eyeing the man a few seconds longer, Clint turned to the dog.  “Lucky, come.”  The dog didn’t move.  It only continued to stare at the two men in fear. “Come here, good boy.”  

The man started chuckling.  “Knew he wasn’t yours.”

“Lucky, pizza.”  The dog tilted its head and perked its ears.  It ran and jumped up against Clint.  Darcy had yet to see the man genuinely smile, let alone grin like a little boy.  He briskly rubbed the dog’s head before coaxing it to get down.  

The other man scowled.  “Whatever.  Just keep the thing outta the way.”

Darcy found Clint a short bit of rope he could use to make a temporary leash.  “I hope Nat is a dog person,” Darcy said.

He smiled and shook his head. “Not really.  But I’ll convince her.”

******

Darcy set the first box down in her new room.  Each pilot received their own, small room, and all were located in the same wing of the barracks.  She would miss Jane and their late night gossiping, but having her own space was a luxury.  She stepped out of her room to make another trip and noticed the door to the room across from hers left open.  She peeked in and saw Loki sorting through a box of his books.  She wrapped on the open door a couple times, just loud enough for him to hear.  His head jerked up, but frowned when he noticed her.

“Need any help?” Darcy asked.

“If I need anything damaged, you shall be the first I call upon.”  He stood and arranged some of the books on the shelf.

“Oh great, you already unpacked your pissy attitude.”

“Did you need something?” His voice became clipped and impatient.  He grabbed an unopened box and set it down hard on his desk.

Darcy scoffed. “The day I need something from you is the day I need my head examined.”

“That day came long before I ever met you.”  

Loki pulled out of the box an alarm clock, a plain white coffee mug, and a framed photo of him and Thor.  Thor had his ever present, massive grin and his arm thrown around Loki’s shoulders.  Loki looked reticent, but his lips quirked in slight amusement.  Darcy couldn’t help but smile seeing the image of the brothers.  She looked up from the photo and watched the real Loki.  He focused on unpacking and organizing his items in a methodical fashion.  She couldn’t recall the last time she saw him honestly smile, and she imagined he must have a permanent crease between his brows by now.  He previously roomed with Thor like she did with Jane.  It should have been Thor moving into the room across from Loki’s.

“Actually, I did want to talk to you,” Darcy said.  Loki stopped unpacking and leaned against his desk.  He crossed his arms and waited, no doubt expecting sarcasm or bitter words.  “I know we are not the first choice on either of each others lists.  I doubt we’d even make it on there as the last option.  But, we are co-pilots.  So I think we should call a truce or at least try to get along.”

“You wish us to be civil with one another? I did not realize you were capable of such profound thinking.  Will wonders never cease?”

Darcy narrowed her eyes, half inclined to just turn and leave. “Yes or no, smartass.”

Loki laughed softly.  “I agree.  I will at least try to not act on my more volatile impulses against you.”

“You’re too kind.” Darcy backed up to leave, but she remembered something else.  “One more thing, you’re welcome to sit with us in the mess.”

Loki snorted and turned back to the box on the desk.

She wasn’t about to let him off the hook that easily. “Fine, then I’ll come find you.”

Loki snapped his head around. “What?”

Darcy shrugged and managed to hold back her smile.  “The others will keep on nagging me if I don’t spend time with you.  So I’d rather deal with your silent treatment.  Makes it easier for me to gab about juicy gossip anyway.”

Loki growled, but she caught the twinge of a smirk.  “You are a conniving, little shrew.”

Darcy chuckled, pleased with herself.  “See ya later, co-pilot.” She waved and left to retrieve the rest of her items.


	3. Teammates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team gets assigned their Jaegers. Loki and Darcy struggle to become partners.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like the Jaeger names I picked out and their descriptions. Big thanks again to samantha-shakespeare for being my beta!! Also big thanks to ohmyloki for advice and making sure Tony and Steve sound in-character. I now have this fic plotted out for at least ten chapters :) And a huge thanks to everyone who sent me comments and words of encouragement :D Love you all.

Darcy arrived at the entrance to the factory and found most of the team already there.  She couldn’t wait to enter because inside housed the Jaegers.  Steve stood tall and calm, probably since piloting Jaegers felt like old hat to him.  Thor and Sif greeted her with pats on the back.  They looked nearly as excited as she felt.  Loki stood on the edge of the group with his arms crossed.  He glanced at her when she waited next to him, but he didn’t comment on it.  Their tentative truce remained intact.  Shortly after, Clint showed up with a red-headed woman by his side.  Clint introduced her as Natasha Romanoff, and after the handshake, Darcy could almost believe the woman would be able to take down a Kaiju all on her own, no Jaeger required.  

The arrival of Marshall Fury quieted them.  The man scanned the group and settled into his typical power stance.  “Where the hell is Stark?”

As if waiting for his cue, Tony chose that moment to stroll through the metal doors, coming from the factory floor.  “I’ve been waiting on you.”  He wore a red dress shirt and charcoal slacks, no doubt by an expensive designer.  He wiped dark grease stains off his hands with an old rag.  

Fury’s lips pursed even tighter, but he didn’t bother wasting more of his time with the man.  Fury faced and addressed the whole group.  “Alright ladies and gentlemen, I know most of you’ve been stationed here for a while, but I’ll formally welcome you again to the Los Angeles Shatterdome.  This is normally the part where I’m supposed to mention how proud I am and how you are all the best and brightest, but that’d make me a liar.  According to the heads of the PPDC, you all make piss poor Rangers.  You are not the fastest or the strongest or the smartest.   You like to ignore direct orders.  You don’t follow standard operating protocol.  You don’t play by the rules.  But neither do the Kaiju.   Those monsters are evolving, so our tactics need to evolve to meet them head on.   That’s why you’ve been selected for this Jaeger initiative.”

An uncomfortable silence followed.  Darcy looked around at the group, hoping someone would break it.  Always count on Tony to be that someone.

“Great pep talk,” Tony said. “Now, if you’d all follow me, I’ll introduce you to the real reasons you are excited to be here.”  Tony turned and re-entered the factory floor with the rest of the team following close behind.  Fury grumble some choice words about Stark and left in the other direction.

A few steps inside the hanger, the team stopped suddenly.  Darcy brought up the rear of the group, and due to her height, couldn’t see anything.  She could hear the high pitched ringing of drills on metal, alarms beeping from forklifts moving in reverse, and shouts from people trying to be heard above all the chaos, including Tony.

“They are things of beauties,” he said.  “No longer walking nukes.  These are powered by their own individual arc reactor cores.”

Darcy pushed her way between Thor and Loki.  She felt Loki shift his weight and squeezed in closer just to make it harder for her to get through.  She intended to elbow him back, but the sight before her took up all her attention.  Four Jaegers towered over them.  Each styled differently in size, shape, and coloring. Each contained a glowing blue core in the center of the chest.  Darcy would feel proud to pilot any of them.

“Ok, if you’ll follow me, I’ll make introductions for your newest team members,” Tony said.  He directed them to the first Jaeger on the left.  A sleek machine with a matte black finish.   “For the experienced co-pilots, Romanoff and Barton, this is Shadow Target.  Designed for speed, stealth, and close quarters attack.  State of the art shields that double as camouflage and reduce heat signatures.  She’s not completely without her long-range attacks, but you can toy with that feature later.”

Clint and Natasha looked up at their new Jaeger.  Clint unabashedly grinned and pointed out some features he spotted that differed from their previous Jaeger.  Natasha nodded and continued to look stoic, but Darcy caught the slight upturn of the woman’s lips.

Tony left the two and led the rest of the team to the next Jaeger in line.  Stealth was clearly not the intention for this one, colored in bright red and chrome.  Darcy gasped at the massive size. A wave of vertigo overcame her as she craned her neck back to see the Conn-Pod on top.  Loki’s hand braced her back as she stumbled a step into him.

“This here is Unyielding Storm.  We had to enlarge the hanger doors just so we can get her out.  Largest Jaeger to date.  Thor and Sif, think you can handle her?”

 Thor laughed and approached his machine with all the pride of a new father. Sif said, “Without a doubt,” as she joined her blond partner for a closer inspection.  

Tony continued.  “Designed to give a beating as well as take one.  Primary weapon is the hammer equipped to the right arm, and if the impact doesn’t kill the bastard, then the surge of electricity should finish the job.  You’ll also notice the left arm has a built-in shield for added defense.”

“This one-Jaeger wrecking crew makes the rest of us kind of redundant,” Darcy mumbled to herself.

“It takes more than mass and strength alone to down a Kaiju,” Loki said.  Darcy didn’t expect anyone to pay attention to her given what stood in front of them.  She turned to reply but Loki had already followed the others to the next Jaeger down.

Tony’s grin said it all.  Out of all the Jaegers, this one obviously claimed the top spot on his favorites list.  Average size and slender build,  the most unusual feature was the lack of color.  She expected something flashier than just chrome, given Tony’s personality.  

“And here is my pride and joy.  She’s named,” Tony swallowed, looking like he tasted something bitter, “Iron Eagle. Excuse her lack of a paint job. Some people are apparently intimidated by color.”  Tony unabashedly glanced towards Steve as he said this.

Steve shook his head.  “You’re well aware, that is not the issue.  This is the flagship Jaeger of our program and heavily funded by the United States government.  I simply requested you not make it look so ostentatious. Like one of your hot rods.”

“What was requested was I throw some stars and stripes all over her. How about we get her to marshal the next Miss America parade while we’re at it.”

“Here I thought you were the only stubborn ass,” Loki said to Darcy.

Darcy pursed her lips and looked over her shoulder at Loki before clearing her throat to break the quiet tension.  “So what features does it have?”

Tony perked up again. “ State-of-the-art target sighting in all conditions.  It can instantly distinguish between hostile targets and friendlies.  For the more skittish pilots-”

“Don’t start, Stark,” Steve said.

“-an energized shield.  Once activated, it is capable of deflecting melee attacks. Not that we’ll need it, since most of the power is directed into the superior pulse cannons in both arms, requiring a fraction of warm up time compared to previous models.  Any Kaijus will be dead with a crater-sized hole in its chest before they get within arms reach.  And my favorite new feature, rudimentary flight ability.  Mainly just hovering at the moment, but effective for a rapid retreat or height advantage.  Don’t tell your brother yet,” Tony nodded in Loki’s direction, “but I plan to install it into his Jaeger eventually.  Jarvis is installed in all the machines as the AI, but not as fully integrated as he is with this one.  My goal is to make Jaegers reliant on only one pilot, allowing the AI to act as the second.”  

“But for now, it still relies on two,” Loki said.  A smile slowly formed as he looked between Steve and Tony.  Darcy had seen that smile multiple times, usually when he found himself unavoidably stuck with her company.  “I take it the famous Steve Rogers is to co-pilot with the infamous Tony Stark?”  Loki chuckled, but it sounded cold.  “Tell me, does the Jaeger program have any standards or requirements left to become pilots, or do they merely pick names out of a hat now?”

Steve took a breath before responding.  “I know it’s a bit like a circus right now-”

“A circus? It would be an honor if we qualified for the circus.  We are the sideshow acts consistent of freaks and misfits.”

“As always, you are an eloquent pain in the ass, Odinson,” Tony said.   He pushed his way between Loki and Darcy.  

Darcy whispered harshly at him. “Would it kill you to act positive for five freaking minutes?”  Loki looked down his nose at her and turned to follow Tony without comment. Darcy threw her hands up in frustration and left Steve with his Jaeger.

She halted when she arrived at the base of the last Jaeger in the hanger.  Her eyes travelled up the machine, painted a shade similar to the Kaiju Blue the creatures bled out upon death.  Bright turquoise, like the color of the arc reactor, glowed between the seams like tribal tattoos.  The shield visor made an intimidating sight with its angles and blood red tint.  Darcy fell in love immediately.

“Here is Cerulean Blight.  The little sister of the group, although technically, little is relative when referring to Jaegers.  Like I mentioned earlier, this one is a prototype.  She has all the bells and whistles I wanted to include in the others, but couldn’t.  She’s designed for stealth and distraction, so don’t plan on any direct fighting with Kaijus.  You’ll be assigned to run defence for one of the others when out in the field.  Because of your talent for hacking, Lewis, I left her CPU accessible.  I’d like to see what you can make her do.”  Darcy nodded, but couldn’t keep her professional facade in check any longer.  Her cheeks hurt from grinning.  “Take your time to check her out, but we’re having you all run some training drills later.  Equipment is in the locker rooms.”  Tony patted her back and left to rejoin Steve.

Darcy charged the foot of her Jaeger and climbed on top of it.  She would have climbed straight to the Conn-Pod if possible.  She turned and saw Loki sedately walking alongside the base of Cerulean Blight.  He lightly grazed his fingertips along the exterior.  His faced turned down, but Darcy spotted his genuine smile.  When he looked up to gaze at the rest of the machine, his eyes lit up with pride and excitement.  

“She’s marvelous,” Loki said.

“I told you it wouldn’t kill you to be positive.”

Loki looked at her and tried to glare, but even he couldn’t tap down his happiness.  “Will you get down before you scratch the paint.”

For the first time since meeting Loki, it looked like he could hold his body up without the weight of his past pushing him down.  She slid off the Jaeger as he wished.  His bad mood would inevitably return, but for once, she didn’t want to be the cause of it.

*******

Natasha and Sif were nearly finished getting ready by the time Darcy made it to the locker room.  They were the only ones in there.  She had loitered a little too long, admiring her new Jaeger, but so did Loki.  Darcy found a silver case with her name stencilled on the side.  A small box with her new dog tags sat on top.  They had her standard information like name and date of birth, but she rubbed her thumb gently over the newly embossed text.  ‘Jaeger Pilot.  Cerulean Blight.’  She placed them over her head and smiled feeling the cool tags settle against her chest.

She opened the lid of the case and found her official circuitry body suit tucked in the foam interior. With slight hesitance, she reached in and pulled it out.  An elaborate pattern of gold wiring used to interface between the nervous system and Jaeger lined the black, lightweight body suit.  She listened to Natasha and Sif chat while she stripped down to change.

“Any advice for what we are to expect, Natasha?” Sif asked as she pulled her long, dark hair into a ponytail.

Natasha tugged at her sleeves to adjust the fit.  “The first time you drift with someone, it is always a rush.  You’re two separate lives suddenly crashing together.  Like they warn you day one, don’t chase the R.A.B.I.T.  It’s a bitch to fight your way out again.”  Random Access Brain Impulse Triggers could down even veteran pilots on a bad day.  The memories people tended to latch on to were normally never a pleasant ones.  Natasha closed her bin and stretched her body side to side.  “My best advice is when your partner pisses you off, and they will, refrain from disengaging from your Jaeger in order to throw them out the front shield.”  Natasha had a wistful half smirk.  Darcy shared a look with Sif, both unsure if the secretive woman spoke sarcastically or from experience.

Darcy twisted and shimmied her way into her body suit.   “Remind me to thank whatever asshole designed this thing.  They forgot some of us have curves.”  Her comment earned her a laugh from both women.

“I need to go.  I’m sure Clint is wondering where I am.”  Natasha headed out of the locker room.  

Sif began to follow, but stopped and turned back to Darcy.  “Do you need any help?”

Darcy got her suit over her hips and now worked her arms into the sleeves.  “Nah, I think I’m good.  You go on. I’ll see you on the training field.”

Sif nodded and hurried after Natasha.  Almost immediately, Darcy regretted sending her off so soon.  She couldn’t reach the zipper in the back of her suit, no matter how she twisted and bent her arm.  She held her hand against her chest to keep the suit in place and chased after the girls.  She ran out of the locker room, calling for each of them.  She half jogged around the corner and halted, finding two men on their way back from the gym.  The men’s locker room was adjacent to the women’s.  

“Excuse me.” Darcy expected them to move and let her pass, but they stopped, blocking the only exit.  

“Need some help?” The guy on the right in a sweat-stained grey t-shirt licked his lips as he looked her up and down.  His friend blatantly stared at her breasts.  “I’m sure I can be of service.”

Darcy rolled her eyes.  She didn’t have time for this crap.  “I’m pretty sure you haven’t been able to service a woman a day in your life.”

The man’s jaw tensed, and he took a step towards her. “Want to say that again?”

She smirked.  “Gladly.  And I’ll make sure to use simple words you can understand.” She gasped when a hand grasped her waist from behind and yanked her zipper up in one fluid movement.  The air rushed out of her lungs at the unexpected tightness.

“Gentlemen,” Loki said in a tone that sounded anything but polite.  “Remove your eyes from her person before I remove them.”  Both men immediately backed off and left, deciding they’d rather be anywhere else.  

Darcy spun around and crossed her arms.  “I could’ve handled it.”

“I’m sure you could’ve.”  Darcy’s jaw fell slightly open, genuinely surprised his voice held none of its usual sarcastic bite.  His gaze flickered down her body and back.  She would’ve missed it if she had blinked.  Loki turned on his heel and walked away.  He called to her over his shoulder.  “Move your ass, Lewis.”

Normally, she’d hurl a zinger of a response back at him, but since he mentioned asses, she took the opportunity to check out his.  She grinned, pleased with what she saw.  Yep, she definitely needed to thank whoever designed these suits.

*************

The Drivesuit Room buzzed with activity when she entered.  She sidestepped a couple of people in order to reach her designated prep area.  Loki stood next to her, already halfway through the process of having his dark blue battle armor attached.  Immediately, the staff began assembling her matching set.  It reminded her of the pit crews at car races.  Her custom fit battle armor felt much more comfortable than the general type they wore during simulator training.   She heard mention they were constructed of a new lightweight composite Stark Industries invented.

After the last rivet got screwed in, they handed her a helmet and directed her towards the Conn-Pod.  Loki waited by the entrance, examining bits of his armor.  “Waiting for me?” Darcy batted her eyes.

“All too often.”  

He entered the room first. Buttons and panels lit up the small space.  The shield visor cast a red glow over everything, but it didn’t deter Darcy from feeling a sense of home.  Loki took the left side without bothering to ask her preference.  She took the right without complaining.

While the technician made the last attachments, a proper British voice spoke to them.  “Good afternoon, Mr. Odinson and Ms. Lewis. I am Jarvis, and it will be my pleasure to assist you in any way I can.   I’ve run last minute diagnostics on all the systems, and we are clear to go. As requested by Mr. Stark, Ms. Lewis has authorized access to all computer systems.”

“Thanks, Jarvis,” Darcy said.  Before slipping her helmet on, she glanced over at Loki.  He clenched his jaw as he stared down at his own helmet.  He took a breath and put it on.  Darcy followed suit.  The Relay Gel drained, allowing her to see out of the clear visor.

Steve’s voice sounded over the speakers.  “Cerulean Blight, this will be a routine training drill.  Get a feel for your Jaeger, target practice, take it through its paces.  Standard procedure.”

“You’re not going out too?” Darcy asked.

“We’ll go out later.  Normally, Heimdall will be your Chief LOCCENT Officer, keeping an eye on everything from mission control. For now, we’re going to help monitor while the Jaegers take their first test runs.”

Tony spoke up next.  “They need me around to take the blame in case the arcs overload the systems and blow up the Jaegers.”

“What?” Darcy shared a worried glance with Loki.

“Don’t worry, I’m relatively confident in my work.  And if not, Jarvis will give you plenty of notice to jettison out.”

The speaker crackled a little.  Steve’s voice sounded a little muffled like he tried to cover the mic, but they could hear him tell Tony, in no uncertain terms, to shut up.

Jarvis came on again politely announcing they would activate the neural bridge in fifteen seconds. Then he began the count down.  Darcy felt her heart flutter, suddenly feeling overwhelmed.  A voice cleared itself to get her attention.  She looked towards Loki and saw him focused on her.  

“I want you to know, no matter what happens,” Loki said. A tinge of anxiety shined bright in his wide eyes.  She quirked a smile, glad she wasn’t the only nervous one. “If you mention anything you see in my head to anyone, I will end you.”  

She scowled and turned away.  “Well, ditto to you too, pal.”  

Just as the countdown reached zero, Darcy realized, due to her aggravation with Loki, her nerves had disappeared.

That’s when the world fell away.

A tidal wave of memories slammed her consciousness.  She caught glimpses of them as she tried to regain her focus.  Random snippets of the past rushed by, like when you try to focus on something out the window of a moving car.  Birthday celebrations, vacations, and applying to be a Jaeger pilot were some of the moments she caught, but  not all were hers.  She saw people she didn’t recognize but had strong feelings for each.  A swirl of love, anger, resentment, and grief filled her.  Then suddenly, she saw the red shield visor and HUD panels again.  

“Left and right hemispheres calibrated,” Jarvis said.  “Neural bridge established and holding.”

Darcy sucked in lungfuls of air, wishing her heart would calm.  She could feel a slight buzz in her head from the connection.  She flexed her right hand and stared at the back of it.  She didn’t need her armor off to know it was fine, but she felt the sting of cuts on the knuckles all the same.  Darcy glanced to her left and spotted Loki quickly facing front, but she knew he had been watching her.  And the injury she felt was his, gained from punching Fury’s wall.

“This is so weird,” she said.  

********

People liked to spread the common rumor how co-pilots immediately worked in seamless synchronization after they drift. Darcy and Loki seemed to try their hardest to thoroughly debunk that myth.  Cerulean Blight stood still the first ten minutes because the two of them argued over which leg to start with.  The Jaeger stumbled and fell when they stubbornly tried to move in opposite directions at once.  

“Ok, let’s try some target practice,” Tony said over the comm.  “Should be amusing to watch, if nothing else.”

Tony must’ve forgotten to silence the speaker when he finished, because they heard Steve mumble in the background. “This isn’t going to work.”  Loki flipped off the sound.  Darcy  felt his anger and frustration bubbling.  

“This is nothing but a joke to them,” he said.

“Relax, it’s only our first time.”

“And you are the biggest laugh of all.”

“Excuse you?”

Several drones hovered around them, ready to shoot.  Darcy revved the small pulse cannon on Cerulean Blight’s right arm.  Not powerful enough to down a Kaiju, but it could still cause some nasty burns.  Loki engaged a small blade the Jaeger’s left hand.

“That they’d not only entrust you with a billion dollar piece of machinery, but with protecting countless innocent lives as well.”

They dodged a drone that flew close by, but took some hits.  “I am plenty qualified.  I’m also your only chance at piloting, because you can’t keep your hissy fits in check. Show some gratitude.”

Loki struck a drone that got too close.  “Of course, my queen.  I’ll remember to be grateful as a Kaiju gnaws on us like we’re its personal chew toy.  Brilliant strategy by the way.”

Darcy fired at a drone circling in the distance.  “That was a one time thing during my first simulator drill.”  Darcy fired point blank at a drone, imagining  it was his face.

“I saw that, Lewis.”

“Good!”  She shot three more drones in succession.

Loki grunted as he slammed his blade into a few more.  “You are an absolute child, minus the nappies.”

Darcy opted to punch the next drone instead of shooting it.  “It amazes me how you’ve gone this long without someone muzzling you.”

Loki threw his blade, impaling the drone dead center. “I dare you.  It would be a pleasure to see you try.”  Darcy narrowed her eyes, tempted to follow through with the threat.

“My sincere apologies, sir and madame,” Jarvis said.  “But mission control requests you reopen your communication channel with them immediately.”

Loki flicked the switch back on and growled, “What?”

“Good to hear from you again, Odinson,” Tony said. “Remember, the mute button is a privilege.  Don’t abuse it.”

“We’re busy, Stark,” Loki said.

“Not anymore.  You killed all my drones.”  They scanned the ground, seeing at least twenty smoldering remains.  “New timed record even.”  Tony’s voice faded slightly as he spoke to other people in the room, forgetting to silence the speaker again.  “Told you they were compatible, Steve.  I believe this also means you lost my bet.”

The mutual bafflement silenced both Darcy and Loki as they gazed on the wreckage.  They hadn’t realized how many they took out during the short time span.  Their bickering freed their minds from over thinking and allowed them to move in sync.  Maybe they’d succeed as a team after all.

 


End file.
